Jill Bale who is aiming to knit the longest scarf, about three miles, and break the record, as a fundraiser for the Catton Grove Primary School.

Archant

A mother from Mile Cross who is attempting to break a world record for the longest scarf has been given a Christmas boost after being donated a suitcase full of wool following an appeal in the Evening News.

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Jill Bale, 39, is attempting to knit the longest scarf in the world to raise money for the Friends of Ket Wangi orphanage in Kisumu, Kenya.

Mrs Bale’s two children, Chelsea, five and Aaron, three, both attend Catton Grove Primary School, which has close links to the charity.

The school has been raising money for the orphanage after being contacted by Emily Odera, a mother and nurse living in Mombasa, who transformed what was to be her retirement home into an orphanage, school and widow support group.

After an appeal last month, Mrs Bale said she was contacted by somebody wishing to donate wool for the scarf.

“Since the story was published a wonderful lady came to my door and said she has some wool for me.

“Friday came and Avril Cooper donated a suitcase full of wool. I was so taken aback, I was nearly in tears. My husband Mark says it will keep me going for a while.”

Mrs Bale’s scarf is currently 2ft long, so she has some way to go to beat the record which stands at 2.15 miles long, more than 11,000ft.

Undeterred, she’s set herself a target of knitting 264ft a month, meaning a record breaking attempt would take her roughly 15 years.

For more information about the charity, visit http://www.ketwangi.org.